The rain has come ...

Today morning it rained near my house, and in the whole village. I saw that it rained at 9.30 a.m. At that time, I had just got up, and I dressed and I went to play in the rain -- on the road near my house. With an umbrella. Later, in my garden, I was playing without an umbrella.

It was so cool and nice. It was cool because all the rain had just gone, and cool air came. All the tap water was cold. Otherwise, usually, the tap water is not too cold and not too warm.

In the summer season, it's very hot, because there's a lot of sun. The taps are not cold in summer. In the summer, there is a shortage of water, just before the rain. And then, when the rains come, the water becomes a lot again... because we fill in our buckets and in the well also.

The rainy season gives us a lot of water, and makes the air cool. The beach gets wet, and a lot of big waves come. In the rain, you have to use an umbrella. When there are small showers you have to use an umbrella. When it rains heavily, you have to use a raincoat. And when it rains really, really heavily you have to use a raincoat and an umbrella.

I went in the rain with my brother, and we were playing in the rain outside the house. My father made a small paper-boat for Aren.

There were a few transparent clouds in the sky. It rained till 3.30 p.m. First it started to be light, then it started increasing. It was not a lot, but quite a lot.

I saw some puddles all over on the road, where there were potholes. My brother called it "piggy puddles" because piggies are quite dirty, and he must have thought a pig must have gone in and made all that dirt.

The top photo is about (a place) close to the beach when it's going to rain, and that's why it's very cloudy. It's not this year's photos. It's of 2005 or 2006. The below photo, that's my home and that's the roof of my home and all the trees across the road, and that's the big field. There's all water collected because, when the farmers work, the mud sticks there, and it doesn't give way for the water to go out. The water gets stucks. Even near my road, there's a ditch and the water wants to go down the ditch, but there's some mud which won't let the water go. My grandfather says there's going to be a flood of mud.

technorati tags:goa, weather, monsoons

Blogged with Flock

I am going back to school

My school re-opens on June 04, 2007. I am happy to go back to school. I got to go and try my uniform. My brother is going to KG I, and I am going to Std IV.

I didn't do very well in Maths. In English, I did well. In EVS also I did well, and in Konkani.

In my results, for the first test, I got "You did well" (Tuven borem kele), second test I also got (Tuven borem kele). In the third test, I got Tuven khub abhyas korunk zai (you have to do a lot of studies). And in the fourth test, I got, "Tuven ganitant abhyas korunk zai" (You have to study better in Maths).

Next year, I'm going to study well in all my subjects. I think my mummy might get a tuition teacher, or I'll study by myself with a little help from my father. My mother, grandfather or grandmother will teach my brother. I have to go to school early; his school starts at 9, so he has to be there at 8.30. I will go first at 7, and then my mother will bring him to school.

Many children go to school in the junior classes (like KG I and KG II), go to school at 9 o'clock. So I too had the same problem. When I had to go to Std I, it was my habit to get up late, at 8.30 am. Now I get up at 7 a.m. In the coming year, I will get up at 6.30 a.m., because I have to go to school in the morning. In the fourth standard, you have to go early, to see what is not completed, and give your books for correction. On the first day, you can come a little late... but on the first day itself, I'll go more early.

technorati tags:school, exams, 2007, LCHS

Blogged with Flock

My cousins' calendar

My cousins' names are Josh, Craig and Daniel. Josh is six years old. Craig is four years, and Daniel is one year old.

They live in America. They made a calendar for their grandmother.  They made a calendar of 2006, and I brought it to Goa (from Bombay).

technorati tags:cousins, art

Blogged with Flock

The jackfruit

My neighbours have a jackfruit tree. This year, the tree gave 48 jackfruits. My best fruits' names are gauva, jackfruits, strawberries, and others.

technorati tags:Goa, Saligao, summer fruits

Blogged with Flock

An architect

One day an architect came to our house. She came to meet my father.

When they finished speaking at 3.30 [pm], I was playing with her. She showed me all her maps. She told me that she studies in a college.

She had a big file, and so many colourful maps.

Architects build houses. They draw pictures. Architects mostly work together; Uncle Dean is her boss, and we all know Uncle Dean, because he is Aunty Patsy's son ... no , brother-in-law... no, son-in-law. He has two daughters, named Gabriella and Olivia. Gabriella is older than Olivia.

If you want to find out more about architects, you can go to the Wikipedia page. My father showed me. When I grow big, I am going to become an artist. If you learn to draw, and if someone teaches you, and if you like drawing, and if you draw most of the time, that's how you can become an artist.

technorati tags:Saligao, architect, home

Blogged with Flock

Aren's double-decker bus

Daddy had gone to Pune. He brought a double-decker bus for Aren. Aren likes his double-decker bus. Aren plays with it a lot. Grandpa told Aren that he wants to see how many days he keeps it nicely. And he still kept it.

He's all the time with his new bus, and he likes it very much. Mama thinks we got it with Cadbury.

Daddy bought a bal for mel, and colour pencils.

I also like the bus. If I was in a bus like that, I would sit on the first top seat, with my brother. I would keep the window open so I could see everything.

Aren told me that they put the double-decker bus inside the scanner, and they got the picture. But I don't know if it's true. I think they (Daddy and Aren) must have taken a photo, no?

technorati tags:toys, Aren

Blogged with Flock

My brother is famous...

Today we were searching on the Internet... my father was working... and we found a report about Aren. It was about the bees. One man, a scientist wrote about Aren how he sent away the bees from our avocado tree:

Now he's jumping on Dada's neck, and saying "he, he". When he came to know about it, he was jumping. He called Grandpa and Nanna, and said: "Click a photo of me."

A novel method to drive away rockbee swarm!

It was the usual SOS about a swarm of rockbees settling near a house; there are children playing, their safety in peril! This was in August 2005.

Mr. Frederick Noronha who sent out the SOS message received several helpful suggestions to deal with the bees. And then after three weeks, his own son drove away the bees inadvertently and in the process got us a new method to deal with unwanted rockbee swarms. He was playing with a tin - banging it - inside a room near the tree holding the swarm. The bees probably disturbed because of the noise fled the scene!

Let me give you the story in detail, starting with a mail in August 2005 from Frederick Noronha from Goa.

Frederick Noronha fred@bytesforall.org

Re: URGENT *** Query about a bee hive

Dear Sir/Madam,

A colony of bees has set up home about about 3 metres from my home. The hive is about 3/4 metre in size, and located on a tree.

Any suggestions on how, and who, can deal with this? Do you know the contacts of anyone in Goa?

We checked with someone who works at the Goa Directorate of Industries, who recommends removal. The 'pest control' solutions also offers a Rs 500 per hive solution, that involves destroying the bees. Is this the only way out?

Since I have small children in my home, I'm afraid of their safety.

Any help, tips, or links to knowledgeable beekeepers in Goa would be appreciated.

FN

On Thu, 2005-08-04 at 08:33 +0530, M.C. Suryanarayana wrote:

Dear Noronha;

Let me, at the outset, assure you that the bees on the tree do not cause any problem to you and others, unless deliberately provoked (throwing stones, hitting with a stick or any such sudden movement directed at the bees). You may therefore like to leave them alone, as long as they dont disturb you (some worker bees may stray into any room of your house in the evening/night if any window is open and if there is light in it; but that is an instinctive behaviour of insects and the bees do not mean any harm).
 
Now, for the removal of the hive: unfortunately I do not know of any beekeepers in Goa; moreover beekeepers do not know about this type of bee (from what you said the bees are the 'rockbee' variety and are not 'kept' or reared. Tribal people usually 'hunt' these rockbee hives for honey and beeswax. If the colony (the bees and their wax comb) is newly settled, it may not have any honey; so, you have to pay such tribal honey hunter some money to remove the hive - depending on your anxiety and status in the society, the charge for this may vary, but it should not be more than Rs. 50 - 100. My advise is not to use pest control chemicals. Did you try the State Office of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission? The staff in the beekeeping section of this office may know somebody who can do this for you.
 
If you are desperate, and cannot find anyone to remove the hive, try this: on any day in the late evening put off all lights in the house and advise your neighbours too to do the same and remain indoors for about 2 hours. Using some dry sticks, leaves, dung, etc. light a fire on the ground right under the 'hive'; cover with green leaves and let the fuel smoulder and create lots of smoke. The smoke should go up and reach the hive. The bees are afraid of fire and smoke and as soon as they sense the danger of fire, they sip some honey in the hive and leave the comb to settle somewhere away at a safe distance. At this time you (covering your face and hand with protective clothing -- like gloves and a monkey cap; and using - if required - a torchlight covered with a red transparent paper) have to cut the comb off from the tree with the help of a knife tied to a long pole. If possible, scrap off any wax on the tree where the comb was attached. The bees may return later to the spot, but as there is no comb now they may leave the spot for good.

Best wishes, M.C. Suryanarayana

Frederick Noronha (FN) wrote 8.26 am, October 15, 2005:

I'm really grateful for all your help. FN

Thanks for all the help to everyone. This story indeed had a strange ending!

One day, my daughters friends were over to play. My [two-and-half-year-old] son was feeling left out. He went into a small room below the stairs (not far from the hive), and started banging on a tin there.

None of us were looking at the bees, whom we had got quite used to by then! "Uncle, look," said one of my daughter's friends. By the time I noticed it, the bees were 200 metres away, and were determinedly flying off past the fields in front of our home.

Apparently, the noise generated by my two-year-old had unsellted them. Aren wasn't even aware of what he had done! I shooed all the kids into a bathroom which is fairly airtight. But the bees just seemed intent on getting away!

We were initially afraid about safety while the bees were around. But then, a whole lot of friends, including some of the top bee specialists in India, responded to my email queries, and had predicted their behaviour aptly. Minguel was helpful particularly. So did beekeeper Ambrose in Saligao.

They would not trouble any of us. In the evenings, if the doors were left open long and there was a light-source inside, some 3-4 bees would enter the home -- of course, not with the intention of attacking anyone. In that sense, they're less harmless than a mosquito (which bites without provocation). We could just swat the 3-4 bees that came in, and they would fall down harmlessly.

We would stand-by and marvel at the disciplined and coordinated manner in which the bees would fly about their work, with two or four leaving the hive(?) and the same number returning every few seconds!

Maybe I'm imaging it, but the flowers around started blooming when they were around.

In a few seconds, they flew off as suddenly as they landed up at our place. They were gone. What was most surprising was that there was no honey-comb left around. My wife felt that there had been no honeycomb, as they gave the appearance of just sitting atop each other, and the 'comb' seemed to be changing its shape. Miguel feels they might have disassembled the comb as they went off.

So, a story which ends well. Even if we were afraid when the bees came in, and were around (what with having two kids in the area, and a schoolful just nextdoor... some had told us that the bees would probably move off after two days, but they took over three weeks to do so!). When I was talking to Ambrose, he said he felt he ought to be going in for keeping some more tame bees at his home!

Does anyone have a list of bee-keepers in Goa? Just curious after having a subject of interest thrust on me ;-) FN

technorati tags:Aren, bees, Saligao

Blogged with Flock

My cousins from Hyderabad

[Photo (from left): Ronu, Riza, Aren (in front), Rachel and Richie at Venessa's wedding, 2006 December in Borivali, Bombay.]

My cousins have come from Hyderabad. Hyderabad is near Secunderabad, in India.

They are 13 of them.

The children's names are Rachel (10), Richie (14), Ronu (about 17), Ronan (4), Reiden (2-and-half). The adults names are Albert, Soiny, Harvard, Shalini, Kevin, and others.

In my aunty's house in Nerul, they have three dogs.  Their names are Cinnamon, Skipper and Bambi.

We went, and we are going to go also, to the beach everyday. We went to swimming pools also.

Sometimes the whole family comes, or sometimes only a few come. They have one car, and if both are there, they can use both. If our car is also there, then we all go in three cars.

I spent some days in their house, three days and two nights. We have lot of fun there.

[In Bombay, Jude Haven building... my neighbour's house. Ronu, Rachel, Riza, Aren (in orange tee-shirt), Richie. December 2006]

technorati tags:Riza, blog, family

Blogged with Flock

My naughty brother

My brother Aren listens to me sometimes; sometimes he doesn't listen. He threw a banana on my nose (heh!) and hit me. I hit him back sometimes. Otherwise, sometimes when my mother and father tell me to keep quiet, I keep quiet; they correct him sometimes.

My mother makes him stand in the corner. My father sometimes shouts or sometimes keeps quiet. He argues with elders.

At the moment, he is climping up the table and he is telling Nanna "You give me the teapot."

He is little naughty, but also at the same time he's good. He stopped hitting. He has to stop pulling my hair and stop biting me to be a good boy.

 

[Photo: Aren is playing with all his toys, and posing. He has made a "computer".]

No I don't want any other brother, because I like him.

technorati tags:brother, Aren, home

Blogged with Flock

My cousins from Hyderabad

My cousins have come from Hyderabad. Hyderabad is near Secunderabad, in India.

They are 13 of them.

The children's names are Rachel (10), Richie (14), Ronu (about 17), Ronan (4), Reiden (2-and-half). The adults names are Albert, Soiny, Harvard, Shalini, Kevin, and others.

In my aunty's house in Nerul, they have three dogs.  Their names are Cinnamon, Skipper and Bambi.

We went, and we are going to go also, to the beach everyday. We went to swimming pools also.

Sometimes the whole family comes, or sometimes only a few come. They have one car, and if both are there, they can use both. If our car is also there, then we all go in three cars.

I spent some days in their house, three days and two nights. We have lot of fun there.

technorati tags:cousins, holidays, visits, Hyderabad, Nerul

Blogged with Flock

At Mandrem

We went by bike to Mandrem, and we were living in one beach. We were living in some huts. Coco-huts. We were actually living in a house. Small room. We had nice fun. The water was very nice and warm. We are going to go there with our friends.

We met one girl. Her name was Dee-Anne. Her aunty's name was Emily, and I don't know what her mother's name was. They were a big family. She was two years year old. Her aunty was 16, and she's in the tenth. We had gone there on Saturday, and they came later.

technorati tags:holidays, summer2007, goa, mandrem, pernem

Blogged with Flock

These are beach huts

These are beach huts. (My brother calls them 'beach cuts', because he doesn't know to say the word properly.) I like beach huts because they are small and cosy, and also comfortable. Once we had been to a beach hut. When we got up in the morning, we went to the restaurant to have some lemon tea, and then we went for a swim. They are in North Goa and South Goa.

My cousins abroad

My cousins live in America. Their names are Joshua, Craig and Daniel. We are related to them because my mother is their father's brother. He's my uncle. Joshua is the oldest, then Craig and then Daniel.



Daniel is quite small. I don't know how old, but Craig must be 5 or 4 or 6, something like that, and Joshua is 7. We have videos of them in Bombay. I would like to show you some photos of them here.... (my father will scan them).

I passed in my exams....

We were in Bombay, and I phoned my father up. He told me that I passed in my exams -- in English, in Konkani and in EVS (Environmental Studies). I failed in Maths. I got 11 out of 25 in Maths.

I like Maths and English very much. EVS and Konkani are okay. In EVS I have a little bit of a problem, because there are very hard words, and I don't understand most of it. Konkani is okay. But English and Maths I understand.

In my Maths paper, I did one thing wrong that I know. There were some sums that were given, and I wrote them one on top of the other. That's why I got it wrong.

My Math's teacher's name is Teacher Judith (Judy), my English teacher's name is Teacher Nita.

And in the next year, my teacher might be Teacher Latika or Nita, they teacher the fourth standard.

In the fourth standard, I'm going to study well and on my own. I'll take little bit of help from my daddy if something is difficult. If I have a little problem in EVS. In the third standard, my father used to teach me. Also Ruth used to teach me, till her exams came.

Our trip to the jungle...

We are going to go to the jungle. It's in Dakshin Goem (South Goa). We are going to go on Saturday (tomorrow, May 5, 2007). My mother, my father, my brother and me are going. It was a surprise for us. I didn't tell my brother as yet, but now I know. Today my mother told me, in the morning. There might be few animals there, like snakes (I'm sure). There might be all wild cats. Or wild dogs. We might see them. I think there will be many other creatures like monkeys. We are going to live in a small house, and are going there only for one night. We are leaving the house by morning....